Castle Cameras Blog

August accessories – special offers from Castle Cameras

August 19th, 2010

Check out these great savings on camera accessories from Castle Cameras.

Protect your SLR against the elements with this water-resistant case. This tough case also protects against abrasions, scratches and drops. Top loading for easy access, it has a hand grip, shoulder strap and belt loop so you’ll always have your SLR to hand. Interior measurements 15.5 x 10.5 x 21cm, enough to house an SLR with a medium zoom lens, plus memory cards and small accessories.

Normal price £29 August offer £19 You save £10

Lenspen Sensorklear

Clean your sensor quickly and easily with this simple to use product from Lenspen. The Sensorklear is proven safe and effective so you can easily see what you are cleaning for brilliant results every time. Half price for the month of August!

Normal price £12.90 August offer £6.45 You save £6.45

Hama Digital accessory kit

This accessory kit for digital cameras includes a mini tripod, cleaning cloth and memory card case. The mini metal tripod is silver and has a ball head. It measures 19cm when extended, 13cm when folded. The microfibre cleaning cloth is specially designed for digital camera lenses, while the Universal neoprene protective case will keep your memory card safe from damage.

Normal price £7.90 August Offer £4.90 You save £3

Velbon Ultra Luxi L with case

This tripod is a study piece of kit weighing just 1.3kg, meaning it’s easily transportable when you’re out and about taking photographs. It has three section legs, pan and tilt ability, and can be adjusted from heights of 39 to 161cm.

Normal price £99 August offer £79 You save £20

Tags: Camera Accessories, Castle Cameras, Special Offers
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Panasonic Lumix cash backs

August 18th, 2010

There is still time to make a significant saving on cameras and accessories in the Panasonic Lumix DMC G range.

Until 31 August you will receive up to £75 cash back (in the form of vouchers) when you purchase a Panasonic Lumix DMC GH1 with microphone, HDMI lead and 8gb memory card.

The Lumix DMC GH1 is a member of the Lumix G Microsystem of cameras with interchangeable lenses. It’s easy to use and produces high-quality results, and not only does it take great pictures, you can also use it to shoot 1080/24p or 720/60p high definition movies.

The camera’s interchangeable lens system means you can explore your creativity to the full by using different lenses for different situations.

It has a 3 inch rotating LCD screen that displays in high definition and a detailed electronic viewfinder.

As well as the movie mode, a hugely welcome addition, highlights include a snappy autofocus and good performance even in poor lighting conditions.

The Panasonic DMC-GH1 14-140 bundle, including microphone, HDMI lead and 8GB memory card, is available for just £979, with £75 cashback, until the end of the month.

Check out the full Lumix range here

Tags: Castle Cameras, Lumix, Lumix GH1, Panasonic
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Time to focus on the Bournemouth Air Show with the Castle Cameras photographic competition

August 16th, 2010

It’s very nearly time to turn your eyes to the skies for the third Bournemouth Air Festival. From Thursday (the 19^th) residents and visitors to Bournemouth will be treated to a fleet of stunning aircraft displays from the Red Arrows, the Arvo Vulcan and Boeing Stearman biplanes complete with amazing aerobatic formation wingwalking displays from the Breitling Wingwalkers to name just three of the highlights of this four-day event.

For the second year running Castle Cameras have teamed up with the Bournemouth Echo to track down the best air festival photographers – with the chance to win some amazing photography prizes.

The competition has two categories – Junior (16 years and under) and Adult (over 16) and the challenge is to take a photograph of any aspect of the festival, from people enjoying the show to the amazing displays in the skies.

The prizes are sure to get you snap happy – a brand new Sony NEX5 for the best adult photographer and a Pentax Optio WS80 digital compact for the best junior.

The best photographs will also be published on the Bournemouth Echo website.

Join in over the weekend to capture the Red Arrows, the Vulcan and lots more besides. It’s a weekend not to be missed!

Read full details here: Bournemouth Air Festival

Tags: Airshow, Castle Cameras, competitions, Sony NEX 5
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The Canon EOS 1D MK IV – a powerful beast

July 27th, 2010

The Canon EOS 1D Mark IV has been out for a while now, but it still packs a powerful punch in the DSLR market. So if you’re thinking of treating yourself to a high end DSLR, the 1D Mark IV is well worth considering.

Aimed at professional photographers and serious amateurs, the 1D Mark IV is a 16 megapixel animal with a 16.1MP CMOS sensor. This produces very low noise even in low light conditions and captures brilliant detail, meaning you can blow your pictures up to A3 poster size or even bigger.

The 45 point autofocus system has 39 cross type sensors – more than double that of the Mark III. This helps make this one of the most stable and reliable DSLRs at this price point.

Other highlights include a 3-inch Clear View II LCD,Full HD movies and high ISO, up to 102400.

This is a chunky, heavy-duty camera with a big, bulky battery. It’s weather resistant and has a good ergonomic grip, meaning you can carry it easily despite its bulk and weight.

In terms of performance, this camera does not disappoint. You will be sure to capture every moment with the 10fps continuous shooting and enjoy exceptional performance, even in low light conditions. Because of the high resolution, you are usually able to crop in on images and still have a good quality photograph.

So if you’re a pro, semi-pro or serious amateur, we’d recommend giving the Canon ES 1D MK IV a look.

Castle Cameras stock the 1D MK IV for £3,699 – more than £1,000 off the RRP.

Tags: Canon EOS, Canon EOS 1d Mark IV
Posted in Castle Cameras, Product News | 1 Comment »

Five things to photograph this weekend

July 23rd, 2010

Capture tanks at Bovington this weekend.

Yay, it’s the weekend! We’ll be out taking photographs and hope you’ll get out and about with your camera too. If you’ve yet to decide what to photograph, here are a few suggestions.

1 Dorset County Museum Summer Fair

Whatever the weather, this popular family fair will take place from 10am on Saturday. As well as the usual museum activities, there will be a fair with stalls and other attractions. There will also be a treasure hunt, live music and appearances from film and television characters.

Admission to the museum, in Dorchester, is £6.50 for adults and £5 for children.

2 Bournemouth Shakespeare Players Present Romeo & Juliet

The Bournemouth Shakespeare Players will be presenting open air theatre at the Priory House Gardens, Christchurch, until Saturday 31 July. This is the 32nd open air production at Priory House and the stunning backdrop, coupled with traditional Shakespearian costume and seasoned actors will provide the opportunity for striking and dramatic shots.

Tickets cost £7 and the show starts at 7.30pm.

3 Southern Classic Speedway, Weymouth

If you’re a fan of speedway, get down to Weymouth sea front on Saturday. Southern Classic Speedway Bikes have joined forces with Weymouth Wildcats to put on a display at the Jubilee Clock. You’ll be able to see bikes dating back to 1952 all the way up to the present day. Some of the classic vehicles are owned by former world champions and there will be plenty of beautiful machines on show.

The event kick starts at 10am and is free.

4 The Tank Museum, Bovington

Always popular with kids and big kids alike, there are a plethora of monster vehicles to photograph at Bovington Tank Museum. Daily displays of a wide variety of tanks, tracked vehicle rides and a complete World War I trench all lend themselves to a multitude of photo opportunities. The Tank Museum also run special events and days throughout the year where real enthusiasts can get some behind the scenes shots.

The Tank Museum is open from 10am each day.

Swans will be happy to pose at Abbotsbury.

5 Abbotsbury Swannery, Abbotsbury

Dorset’s world famous swan sanctuary is a real treat for bird lovers. Unlike a zoo, all swans here are free flying and not kept in cages. You can capture the swans feeding at noon and 4pm and there are hundred of photo opportunities throughout the venue. Other birds, including pheasants, call the venue home, and the stunning scenery of the Dorset coast provides a perfect backdrop.

The Swannery is open from 10am each day.

Picture credits – CCA: Tank by Skuds; Swan by Aussiegall.

Tags: Castle Cameras, Photography news
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Go retro with a snazzy black compact

July 20th, 2010

The Pentax Option I-10 fuses 70s style with modern day quality.

On the high street, in our homes and in our musical tastes, retro is all the rage. Now you can add a retro touch to your photography (and we don’t mean taking tiny, badly coloured pictures!) with the Pentax Optio I-10.

The Pentax Optio I-10 is a smart compact in the style of the old Auto 110 micro SLRs from the late 1970s. Don’t let the cute looks of this camera fool you – behind the scenes there lies a powerful beast.

The Optio I-10 is a 12 megapixel camera with a 2.7-inch LCD and 5x zoom. Face recognition, 720p HD movie shooting and a remote control function are among other highlights.

Although there is a viewfinder tower, it doesn’t contain a viewfinder – rather this is where the flash is housed. The LCD screen as a 16:9 widerscreen ratio, meaning you get a good look at what you are photographing.

There are 25 scene modes, including Night Scene, Surf & Snow, Flower and Party, meaning this is a camera designed for a wide range of photography scenarios. There is also an auto shooting mode called Green, which enables you to concentrate on taking pictures while automatically selecting the best shooting mode for you.

Face recognition is very good on the Optio I-10 – it even has the option for pets. All you need to do is register your cat, dog, rabbit etc into the camera and in future it will register their faces like human faces and ensure they are in focus.

Quick response times and easy to follow menus mean this is the perfect compact for most users.

Castle Cameras have the black Pentax Option I-10 on offer for just £139. Get yours today!

Tags: Camera offers, Castle Cameras, Pentax, Pentax Optio I-10, Photography news
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Things to photograph this weekend: British Pedal Car GP

July 9th, 2010

The British Pedal Car Grand Prix offers the chance to photograph some strange vehicles in action.

If you’re a motor racing fan, it can’t have escaped your attention that it’s the F1 British Grand Prix at Silverstone this weekend. But if you can’t make it to Northamptonshire, never fear. There is another motor sports event taking place closer to home – the British Pedal Car Grand Prix in Ringwood, Hampshire.

Here you’ll have the chance to catch capture some interesting vehicles on camera. They’ve all been home built and will be racing round the centre of Ringwood from 2pm on Sunday. The event has been going since 1987 and is a fun day out.

If you do want to snap the action at the British Pedal Car GP, or other racing events including cycling, running or rafting, you’ll want a camera that’s up to the job of capturing the high-speed sport.

The Canon EOS 550D redefines the boundaries of Canon’s range of consumer DSLRs and, with a 3.7fps continuous shooting speed for up to 34 shots, you can be confident of capturing rapid action.

The Canon EOS 550D has an HD video shooting mode to capture all the action at sporting events.

The camera features 14 shooting modes, including a Sports mode for faster-moving events. And if you want to shoot video, the EOS 550D has a much trumpeted video shooting mode. You can shoot up to up to 1920×1080 resolution with 30, 25 or 24fps options. You can also capture stills while you shoot video if you wish, although this does cause a pause in your video. The camera has HDMI output for HD viewing of both videos and stills.

Other highlights of the 550D include an 18megapixel CMOS censor for superb quality images and an Auto Lighting Optimiser function to make the best of lighting conditions.

You can snap up the EOS 550D 18-135IS Kit for just £879 from Castle Cameras, a saving of £220.99.

Pedal car picture credit – Silly Army

Tags: British Pedal Car Grand Prix, Canon EOS, Canon EOS 550D, Castle Cameras, sports photography
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Trade in your old equipment for the latest SLR and accessories

June 23rd, 2010

If you’re like most of us, the chances are you’ll have bits and pieces of camera equipment hanging around that you no longer have a use for. You know the scenario: camera accessories that you’ve accrued over the years for a type of camera you no longer own, even cameras themselves that you’ve fallen out of love with. All gathering dust in the attic or at the back of a cupboard, doing nothing but lying around and getting in the way.

There comes a time in every photographer’s life when the desire for shiny new kit is just too strong (particularly with the likes of the Sony NEX 5 hitting the shelves at Castle Cameras) – but, like everyone else in the country you need to tighten your belt.

Never fear, though. There is a solution. Castle Cameras’ trade-in scheme is a win-win situation for photography enthusiasts. We will exchange the old bits of kit and cameras you no longer use and offer you a handsome reward that you can put towards your next camera.

There is a big market for good quality SLRs and equipment, both film and digital. We’ll even look at old compact film and digital cameras, although these tend to be of lower value. We can normally do a deal straight away, meaning you go home with a brand new camera and some money remaining in your pockets.

For full details of Castle Cameras’ trade-in schemes, contact us today or call in to our Salisbury or Bournemouth stores.

Tags: Camera trade in, Castle Cameras
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Nikon Coolpix P100 – perfect for festival photography

June 22nd, 2010

The Nikon Coolpix P100 will serve you well at music festivals.

It’s the Glastonbury music festival this weekend and many festival goers will be hoping to snap some photographs of their favourite bands and stars, or just capture pictures of themselves and their friends enjoying the unique atmosphere (and hopefully not getting too covered in mud!).

Festival season got underway with Download last week and there are plenty of events for music lovers across the country going on this summer – no matter what your favourite genre.

If you’re planning on getting some decent quality photographs at a music festival, a mid-range camera such as the Nikon Coolpix P100 will serve you well.

The Coolpix P100’s high points include high speed photo and video shooting, a multitude of modes to experiment with for interesting and alternative shots (perfect for a music festival), and easy to manage controls that will help when shooting in the field.

The zoom range is also excellent for capturing images of artists on stage – since the overhaul from predecessor the P90 zoom range has been extended to 26x.

With a 10-megapixell CMOS sensor, shooting speed is improved and noise reduced in low light photographs – something you’ll be snapping a lot of at music festivals.

Of course, if you are planning on taking your camera to a music festival (or any other outdoor event) it’s a good idea to take a durable bag that will afford your camera and equipment as much protection as possible.

For example, the KATA Sling backpack 3N1-10, which has ample space for all your camera equipment and comes with a chest belt and hip strap to reduce the weight on your shoulders. It’s also got a waterproof cover – handy for the weather that seems unfortunately ubiquitous at music festivals.

Tags: Castle Cameras, Festival photography, Nikon Coolpix, Nikon Coolpix P100
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